HavensRunners.co.uk

Welcome to the site devoted entirely to you, we hope you find it useful in the run up to next years London Marathon.

Sorry about the delay – it’s taken some time for everyone to back into the swing of things after the excitement of Sunday!

Well done to each and every one of you – you did Havens Hospices very proud.

We’ve uploaded an article on our website http://www.havenshospices.org.uk/about_us/Latest_News/london-marathon-2011 and there are loads of photos on Facebook – keep uploading them!

Look forward to seeing you at the Marathon BBQ in a few weeks time.

Amy and Judy x

Tomorrow’s the big day, and many of us couldn’t have got here without the help of the incredible team assembled by Havens so I want to say a big thank you to all of them. I won’t go through all the names because I will no doubt miss somebody important, but I want to give special mentions to the people who helped me first hand.

Chris Domoney for torturing many of us, Neil Lock for producing such an excellent website and forum for my verbal diarrhoea, the entire team of Benfleet runners club who listened to my constant questions about running and never lost patience! And of course, Judy for giving up her time and arranging all of this for us and keeping us motivated, informed and most importantly, fed with bacon butties! Also, a special mention to her husband for his welcome water drops!
I know there are many people who I’ve missed off this list and I give you my thanks for the many things you’ve done behind the scenes that we don’t see.
Thank you all and good luck – see you on the parade ground!

Taken from my own running blog and possibly a little late but here are my top tips for the few days leading up to the marathon…Good luck to all Havens Runners out on Sunday

The week before

Look after yourself in the final weeks to ensure that you don’t catch a cold at the last minute. Eat healthily, hydrate regularly, avoid spending time with anyone who has a cold and get plenty of sleep. It has been suggested to me to wash hands regularly and carry around hand sanitizer to use when not near a sink

Avoid any unnecessary stress in the final week, and don’t tire yourself out with activities such as gardening, partying or shopping. Relax, get lots of sleep and chill out. A story that sticks in my mind is one of a very good runner who killed his hopes of a fast marathon the weekend before when his Mrs asked him to build a shed!

Set yourself achievable goals for the marathon – ideal time, a satisfactory time, getting round without walking, etc. If you started in January with a particular time in mind then you should reassess. How has your training gone? Is this still a realistic goal?

Work out your travel arrangements well in advance and aim to be there an hour early. You’re advised to use public transport, as many roads in and around Greenwich will be closed. The train system is surprisingly efficient, although it gets increasingly crowded the later you leave it. There are no tube/train closures this year to contend with but the trains are busy – think rush hour!

Eat more carbohydrates than usual in the last 3 days before the marathon. Food such as pasta, rice, potatoes and fruit should make up approximately 70% of your diet, although you should avoid making any radical changes to your diet at this stage.

Try and get to the Expo early. This leaves the day before the race clear and ensures you are not on your feet the day before. The Expo is busiest on the Saturday with long queues to collect your number and at all the stands. If you can get there earlier in the week all the better.

The day before

Eat a large meal the night before that is high in carbohydrates and low in fibre. Choose food that you’ve eaten before a long run in the past. Now is not the time to be trying out new recipes!

Drink plenty of fluids the day before the marathon to ensure that you are properly hydrated. This doesn’t include alcohol, save that until after the finish line!

Get your kit ready the day before to avoid rushing around on the morning of the marathon. Pack clothes for different weather conditions and take all of your running essentials – race number, Vaseline, energy bars/gels, drink, sun cream, change of clothes, tissues, safety pins, plasters, timing chip etc. You might also want to think about taking a long sleeved top that you don’t mind dumping at the start to use once you have left your bag at the baggage trucks (a bin liner with holes cut in for your arms and head would also do if you don’t have old clothes to dump). Also think about taking your own toilet paper just in case. The race toilets will quickly run out and that’s a chance you don’t want to take!

Wear tried and tested kit. Run in something comfortable that you have worn during training. This includes everything from your running shoes and socks to your underwear and top. New kit may cause chafing, blisters or general discomfort. Do not go to the Expo and buy anything new, especially trainers.

I have been advised to go for a short, slow jog the day before the marathon to relieve tension and get rid of any pre-race apprehension. This will also help you to sleep. At the Dublin Marathon last year I took part in the International Breakfast Run the morning before the marathon and I found it woke my legs up.

Don’t worry if you don’t sleep very well the night before – most people don’t! A combination of nerves and anticipation will keep you awake. As long as you rest in bed for 8 hours, you’ll be fine. Some people find it helpful to set a routine of getting up very early in the week before the race, causing tiredness in the evening and allowing you to go to bed early. As long as you have slept in the week running up to the big day you will be fine!

The big day

Remember to set 2 separate alarms to minimise the chance of sleeping in. Make sure you eat something on the morning of the marathon, even if it is too early for you to feel hungry. Eat a light meal consisting of foods that you have eaten previously before a long run. Drink some water or a sports drink, whichever you use consistently. Again, stick with what you know.

Apply Vaseline or similar to any areas where it is common to suffer chafing problems – under the arms, bra band, toes, etc. Be careful not to apply too much to the toes as this can make them slippery which could cause blisters. If you suffer from ‘jogger’s nipple’, use plasters or surgical tape to prevent soreness and bleeding. It amazing how many people you see at mile 20 in a white t-shirt with red lines!

Queues for the toilets will be very long, so allow yourself plenty of time. Stop drinking 30 minutes before the race to avoid the need for another toilet stop. There are also toilets along the route so don’t panic if you need to go.

Make sure you have arranged where to meet up with friends and family afterwards. You’ll be too tired to spend time wandering around lost! The official meeting point is on Horseguards Parade and is arranged in the letters of the alphabet. It does get busy here around the 4/4.30hr mark when the biggest concentration of runners cross the finish line, so if you have another idea of a meeting place then go for that. A word of warning, do not rely on your mobile phone to get through to people, the signal is like at New Year and you will find it really hard to get through.

The first few miles are very crowded. Many people tire themselves out by dodging in and out of runners because they’re behind on race plans or get caught up in the moment and go out too quickly. Maintain a slow, even pace, relax and enjoy the occasion. Keep an eye out where the coloured starts merge – you run along side each other for a while before you come together and the heckling that goes on is quite good fun.

Be sure to know where your supporters are. I find knowing that they are X miles away helps get through bad moments. If you have more than 1 group supporting make sure they are spread out so you have more encounters to look forward to. Give these people anything you might need during the race – Jelly Babies or extra Gels just in case you need a pick me up towards the end will be greatly received.

Drink plenty of fluid and eat something as soon as you can after crossing the finish line. You might not feel like eating but the sooner you do, the quicker your body will start to recover. Choose something easy to digest, such as a banana or smoothie or the sweets in your goody bag.

To keep warm, wrap yourself in the space blanket provided as soon as you finish. Get changed into dry clothes as soon as you can. Treat yourself to a mild sports massage, a hot bath or even an ice bath – as favoured by Paula Radcliffe!

After the marathon, be sure to rest – you’ve earned a break! If it’s your first marathon, don’t try to run in the following week. It’s a good idea to take a few days off work as your body will feel very tired on the Monday and often worse on the Tuesday. Stairs will be your nemesis, but it wont last!

Make a conscious effort to congratulate or reward yourself after the event – the training has taken over your life for so long and completing a marathon is an incredible achievement. I have treated myself to a few nights abroad this year and fly out on Monday afternoon.

Well where has the last 6 months gone! Can you believe it’s only a few days away? Hope that you are happy with your training and feeling good about the big day.

A letter has gone out in the post with last minute info regarding cheering points etc, do encourage your friends and family to come over and say hello to us. As well as our cheering points there will be some familiar faces in the crowd, the team from Benfleet Running Club will be following runners around the course and look out for Chris our sports therapist who will be around the 12 mile mark – he will have a Little Havens banner flying.

Sports Therapy.
Last 2 sessions: today 6 -9pm and Saturday 8.30am – mid afternoon both at Little Havens. Contact me to book. Saturday sessions will be a 15min “Buff and Fluff” just to relax you and get you ready for the big day.

It is also wise to have a massage after your run, feel free to contact either Chris 07739 765587 or Louise 01702 714968 to arrange.

I wish you all the best of luck on Sunday, have a great day, relax and enjoy it:

Remember: don’t go charging off, keep to your plan and if you are catching the coach DON’T BE LATE!

See you all on Sunday
Judy and Amy

No, not the song, and not me either! Check out “The Count” on BBC iPlayer the other night:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0101glj/Late_Kick_Off_London_and_the_South_East_2011_Episode_11/

Sorry Chris, couldn’t resist mate, at least it’s not on Facebook… well, yet anyway

Thanks for a great massage again this morning – put me right once again!

It’s been a while since I’ve posted but just wanted to say hi to everyone and, in case you’d forgotten – JUST OVER A WEEK TO GO!!

Hope your training has been everything you’d hoped for and that you’re winding everything down for the big day.

Judy is back at work on Monday if you have any last minute questions or requirements.

I’m going up with hubby next Friday to collect number (and probably spend silly money on new running gear!) so I’ll post in the week.

Stay safe and enjoy the sunshine x

Sorry not been around much lately mostly due to doing very little running due to an injury. Its was / is one of those niggly injuries of the hamstring that doesnt stop you doing anything at all – except running. Had physio, did exercises etc etc but it wouldnt go away so from middle of January to two weeks ago – no running at all.  But the injury has slowly got betterish – now prob only 2/10 instead of 7/10 and back running.

Building up the miles a bit fast (well theres the Brighton Marathon in two weeks and London a week after ) and I know it would be madness to run a marathon on 2-3 weeks training. But what about running is sane anyway.

This morning went out with another Havens runner (so if you saw two runners in Havens vest on the seafront at silly o’clock this morning it was us) as she wanted to do her long run/walk. We managed just over 16.5 miles and I added a couple to start and end  to make twenty ish. Thats 64 for week so a bit steep.

Must see if there are any places left on the coach as I had pretty much given up any hopes of running in London but its looking more optimistic now – albeit slowly!

On reading a few of the postings on here and on Facebook for the last few weeks I was coated in trepidation before my final big run on Saturday. This was the furthest I intended to go – 21 miles – and I’ve heard horror stories from people who’ve been on their big run and picked up injuries and this seemed to be the case with some of the Havens runners. My thoughts go out to you guys and I hope you recover swiftly.
So, 20 miles in and it felt like I was wearing deep sea diving boots and, and I can’t explain this one myself, it felt like my hair was going to fall off… weird!
I finished with the usual aches and pains only more amplified, and I’m feeling pretty good now – 4 miles on Sunday and 10 miles last night and it seems to be going well. The taper starts on Saturday with a 15 miler, still not convinced – I can’t make my mind up whether I’m doing too much or starting my taper too early. Only time will tell I guess.
Good luck to all you guys recovering – I hope this week brings you joy!

Well, it was this time last year I got into running! The Brentwood half..last year posting 2:26 this year 2:05 and know I could of have done faster if I hadnt had an injury last week and no training so I could recover. Still my last 3 half’s have all been within a minute so happy with the consistency.
This weekend coming I am going for a 20 or 22 miler to serve as my last real long run before the day…
Wearing the havens vest yesterday and with name on it really does give you a lift when someone you dont know pushes you along, even better when other runners drag you along if your having a bad spell. Imagine that 100 X on London.. fantastic!! Also, great to see other havens runners out on the course.